Mr Zimba noted that Labour Day is
a platform where Union labour leaders, leaders of political parties have an
opportunity to meet government leaders to share and exchange ideas on how to
tackle challenges faced by public service workers.

Mr Zimba, who was also Zambia
Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) General
Secretary, said Labour Day is not only for government and the labour movement
to celebrate but for all because it is commemorated world-wide and Zambia is
not an exceptional.

Speaking in an interview with
ZANIS in Lusaka today, Mr Zimba who also served as Information Minister took a
swipe at the opposition political parties who conspicuously absented themselves
from the Labour Day celebrations despite being invited by government to be part
of the event which cut across party lines.

“First of all, why stay away from
such a national event, staying away means opposition parties should declare
themselves irrelevant because Labour Day is not only for the government but for
all of us,” Mr Zimba said.

The former ruling party, Movement
for Multiparty Democracy-MMD, United
Party for National Development-UPND, National Restoration Party-NRP, Alliance
for Democracy and Development-ADD, United National Independence Party-UNIP,
Forum for Democracy and Development-FDD and Heritage Party were all
missing at the event.

The only political party present
at the celebrations was the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) with some members clad
in the party regalia and gave solidarity of the national event.

Secretary to the Cabinet Evans
Chibiliti revealed that he invited all the opposition political parties and
regretted that the opposition did not honour the invitation.

Yesterday Zambia joined the rest
of the world in commemorating the Labour Day.

Republican President Michael Sata
graced the event in Lusaka where he said his administration will target youths
in job creation because they make up 68 percent of the Zambian population and
constitute a larger number of unemployed people in the country.

This year’s Labour Day was
commemorated under the theme “enhancing workers’ rights for sustainable
national development”.